Lara Kose, Alies Sluiter, Amie Batalibasi, Sarah Hatherley and Jessica Liley are the five Australian practitioners selected for the annual Women in Screen Workshop, a six-week lab run by the Australian International Screen Forum in New York.
Other international filmmakers selected for the lab include Caitlin McCarthy, Nagham Osman and Jen Sall.
The workshop, which is virtual this year due to COVID-19, will take place over the next two months.
Each participant will be advised by a group of 12 professionals from across Australia and the US on a diverse range of topics. These include negotiating pay, overcoming imposter syndrome, key skills in leadership, pitching, business and legal affairs, marketing and distribution, independent producing, scriptwriting, PR strategies and podcast development.
The 2020 mentors are:
- Haley Hamilton (executive director, literary scouting, FOX Television)
- Rachael Fung (producer, Little Woods, The Giant)
- Victoria Hill (producer, Fibonacci Films, First Reformed, The Chaperone)
- Meggie Palmer (founder and CEO, PepTalkHer)
- Hannah Pembroke (scripted development, Matchbox Pictures )
- Sara McFarlane (founder, E/S Collab)
- Amelia Chappelow (audio executive producer and Consultant)
- Paula Ngon (publicist, People and chair of BlackPrintMeredith)
- Jessica Mills (film marketing and distribution consultant, Oui Oui Marketing)
- Dor Dotson, (social media marketing and crowdfunding for filmmakers, Genuine Article LLC)
- Jamie Zelermyer (film and television pitch consultant/producer/executive producer and president of the board, New York Women in Film & Television )
“The thing that’s so great about AISF’s Women in Screen Workshop is that it brings a super talented group of women together in the early stages of their career from all over the world and exposes them to all the fundamentals needed for a sustainable career in the film industry,” said McFarlane, who will mentor on business and legal affairs and financing.
“What sets this workshop apart from the others, is that it provides filmmakers with real, practical advice that can be applied everyday to make a real difference. It teaches filmmakers and creatives to ask the right questions, to be their own advocates and their own representatives, which is so, so important.”
The Women in Screen Workshop was created to support creatives in the early stages of their career so they have the tools and resources to achieve success through an entrepreneurial approach.
“This lab creates a gateway to industry for filmmakers that have often found themselves at a stand still of where to start and get themselves through the door. I am delighted to program the next Women in Screen Workshop, led by female industry advisors in Australia and the US who are leaders in their field to share their knowledge with this year’s lab participants,” Laura D’Augello, producer of industry programs at the Australian International Screen Forum.
Final Draft will supply each filmmaker with a year’s subscription of their scriptwriting software. Filmmakers will also join an alumni network that continues provide resources to female filmmakers within the Australian International Screen Foundation.